ALL ABOUT ME

I'm passionate about Art . Art governs my life, both as maker and consumer/observer/collector. That's about the whole story really, except that I also love gardening (having taken over my local neighbourhood as a sort-of eco-warrior) and dancing, which is Art, and avant garde electronic music, which is also Art. And also cinema, good food, travel.... All those good things.

Which brings us back to hard work, because none of those things are accessible without it. Leadlighting is hard work; I've done a lot of it, and I'm quite good at it. I also have a great team, and that helps enormously. Stained glass painting is even more demanding, at times even tedious- especially the restoration work. But still, it's what I love doing, and I'm very good at that.

I've compiled these pages for your enjoyment, hopefully your edification, perhaps even to encourage you to commission me to make something for you or your organisation. In that way I might continue to have those good things mentioned above in my life. And so might you.

My Blog

For more news and views, look under BLOG in the menu at the top of the page.

ARTISTCLOSEUP interview

For an in-depth look at my working life you may find Wayne Pearson's interview of interest. This is the transcript of an interview which Wayne conducted as part of his Master of Arts at Sydney College of the Arts. The comments and photographs formed the basis of a series of very fine portraits (on glass) of notable glass artists, including myself.

I'm also on INSTAGRAM : @jeffhamiltonglassartist
and Facebook (my personal page) and Hamilton Design Glass

the HIBERNIAN HOUSE Studio

My former studio, 2020-22; Video c/o Titus McLaren of Black Iris Films

Tuition

While I have done a lot of teaching at various institutions over the years, I don't teach basic leadlighting anymore. There are a couple of very good beginners' leadlight courses around Sydney. Possibly the best is Clive Hillier Stained Glass in Kingsford; Clive covers all the basic skills required to make a leadlight window and can also offer expert tuition in fused and slumped glass (also known as kiln-formed glass)

There is another very good course taught by Sarah Thorpe at the Sydney Community College on the corner of Victoria Rd and Gordon St. Rozelle

However, if you are interested in learning the art of painting on glass, I can take students on a one-on-one basis in the North Curl Curl studio at $550 (incl. GST) per day, plus $250 for all materials and firing. Contact me now to arrange a suitable date. A two day session would provide you with a basic understanding of the principal techniques involved in traditional glass painting. The third day would give you an opportunity to explore coloured enamels and silver stain. Some examples of my glass painting are shown below.

Cards, Prints, even Cushions!

This is my Redbubble website. Initially established in Australia as an online artist community, Red Bubble is now an International print-on-demand website where all images are available as greeting cards, prints of various sizes, wall clocks, Tees, coffee mugs and yes, even cushions. There is a catalogue of images there of my works in glass and other media and also a few photographs of things I find interesting.

Voice Recordings

Over the past few years I have been gradually interviewing other stained glass artists, to archive their life stories for posterity. The first of these interviews is with Anne Dybka, a glass engraver and close friend who passed away in 2006. You can listen here on Soundcloud.

And here's a podcast from Chevonne Ariss in Michigan USA. Chevonne is the owner of Runa Glassworks and posts regular podcasts. In November 2021 she interviewed my protégé Hannah Gregory. She's actually way beyond "protégé" now.. Hannah (also Maling) has done so well since moving on from my studio. She returned to Western Australia for family reasons, but later was successful in gaining two grants, one from the Ian Potter Foundation and one from the West Australian Government to take up a one-year residency at the College of Art in Swansea, Wales. This college was one of the foremost schools for stained glass in the world (they have only very recently cut back on their glass program). Wales basically launched Hannah's career. Listen to the podcast to find out more!

Free Stuff

In the making of a stained glass window there is a lot of 'wastage' of glass. I save as much as I possibly can for use in other windows but storage becomes a huge problem and as the pieces get smaller and smaller they are no longer of use to me. Nor can they be 'recycled' in the same way plastic or cardboard can be. In fact, due to the chemistry involved, only "bottle glass" is recyclable; flat or "window glass" is not.

So rather than send all these tiny pieces of coloured glass to landfill, I'm more than happy to pass them on to someone who can use them for mosaic or some other creative endeavour. Just call me on 0421038739 or email me jhamiltonATstainedglass.com.au to arrange a pick up time. I also keep boxes of larger offcuts for sale at $10/kg. It would help if you brought your own box. These offcuts are all mixed- they may NOT be 'fusible' or 'compatible', but you're welcome to sort through and choose what you like.

A Personal History

Let me mention straight up the huge debt I owe to my High School art teacher, Erdley Lancaster. He was a legend at Condell Park High, known for his larrikin behaviour as much as his creativity. He truly brought out the best in me, helping me to believe that just maybe there was a career for me in "the Arts". Unlike the so-called Careers Advisor who, in front of the whole senior class, yelled "You, boy, will end up on the rubbish heap of society!"

Randwick T.A.F.E.

In 1974 I graduated from the National Art School, Randwick College of T.A.F.E. with the Interior Design Diploma (Credit). It was a 4x year full time course at that stage and a gruelling one at that. But many of the tutors, including Lesley Penny, Roy Lewis, Nicholas Munster and Ken Reinhardt among others, were truly inspiring, pushing us all beyond what we imagined we were capable of.

People have said to me over the years they can see a "Randwick School" influence in my work and I can now see what they mean; not only in aesthetic terms but in the finish of an artwork- the attention to detail and fine craftsmanship that was drilled into us still comes through and is something I do subscribe to.

The foundation year was common to each of the three strands of Industrial, Interior and Graphic Design and it was the strength of the graphic design training that landed me a job as an artist at Taronga Zoo.

Taronga Zoo

1975-79

My first job out of College was the position of Staff Artist for Taronga Zoo, near Mosman on Sydney Harbour. It was a beautiful location in which to work and I thought that I was very lucky indeed. Most of my time was spent illustrating birds, fish and animals for identification labels, for education or for publicity. Naturally the illustrations were required to be as accurate as possible and the resource material was readily at hand but I also made a point of getting out into the grounds as often as possible, to sketch from life.

At one stage there were three graduates from Randwick College on staff: Louise Pinnock and Barbara Tap had joined the team.

Lettering and signage also formed a large part of the job description: this was graphic art in the days when 'cut and paste' meant exactly that! It was very hands-on and excellent for honing my painting skills. Eventually the Art Dept. did acquire a process camera but not until after I had moved on and not without much lobbying from Marina Bishop and Stanley, my replacement.

After 3yrs there the job was losing its excitement and I felt the need for something more challenging and which offered more of a future. As it happened we had placed an ad in the Sydney Morning Herald for an artist to join the team and while checking that I noticed an advert looking for "an artist to train in glass". I decided to take along my portfolio and give it a try. I would miss the community of the Zoo but felt it was an opportunity too good to pass up.

The Studio of Stephen Moor

1979-81

I received my training as a glass painter under Stephen Moor, at his Strathfield studio from 1979-82. His cutter, a semi-retired glazier named Clarie, taught me to cut glass (old school: no tungsten wheels, no grinders!) and Stephen instructed me in all the aspects of designing for a window, preparing a cartoon, translating that to a cutline, selecting glass, painting and firing. He was somewhat impressed with my graphic skills, remarking one day "At last! someone who can letter as good as I can!" (We restored a LOT of painted inscriptions).

Religious windows were our staple. I learnt a great deal about liturgical arts under Stephen and my early years as a junior Sunday School teacher at Georges Hall Baptist Church stood me in good stead. (At 13 or 14 I set myself the task of reading the Bible from cover to cover!) The studio also received domestic or commercial commissions and over time I took on more responsibility, eventually taking commissions through to completion from Stephen's scale renderings.

However it wasn't until after I left Stephen Moor mid-1981 that I learnt to lead up a window. All the construction of our work, the puttying and all the site work was carried out by the leadlighters next door, Bolton Glass. So thanks to a few quick lessons from my friend Steve Lancaster at Bolton's, I managed to stay ahead of my students at The Cottage, my first teaching job.

The Cottage, Mosman

1982-1990

On leaving The Studio of Stephen Moor I took a teaching job at The Cottage, a community adult education centre in Hale Rd Mosman under the direction of Pam Kidney. I had been recommended for the job by Warren Langley, who was teaching there at the time.. (It was through the very new organisation Ausglass that I became friends with Warren) The Cottage was pivotal in my career and I learnt a great deal while teaching: both about the craft and about myself.

The Cottage was a place where you could expand your ideas: they were about developing the tutor as much as developing the student. One memorable weekend was a skills exchange between tutors where we each became students, learning a completely new craft media from colleagues working at the top of their field, such as the late Audrey Simpson (fibre)

I had students from all walks of life, from politicians to plumbers, even a retired Headmistress. The renowned artist Frank Hinder, who had become a friend around that time, joined my leadlight class for a term: a humbling and enriching experience. Frank was a truly great Australian artist and a wonderful human being, completely unaffected by fame.

The Cottage hosted regular exhibitions of teachers' and students' work and I struck up lasting friendships with two other teachers: Tanja Cunninghame (visual arts for young people), who later moved to Glenn Innes, and Owen Thompson (watercolour) who moved to Hazelbrook. I taught Colour and Design there as well as Leadlighting and on the encouragement of Beth Mazengarb and Bunty George, members of Altrusa, I commenced classes at my new shop in Lane Cove.

Lane Cove

1982-96

At this time I was living with my wife and two children at Riverview. It seemed a natural evolution to establish my business there, converting the garage to a studio. I registered the name Hamilton Design and in October 1982 launched my career with a solo exhibition "Pictures at an Exhibition" in Surada Avenue. A mix of drawings, paintings and stained glass, it was a successful show with lots of people attending over the 10 day period and a total of 7x works sold, which I found encouraging.

As the business grew it became clear very quickly that my career was developing and I needed more space and also more exposure: a more commercial working environment. So we took the difficult step of selling that beautiful house on Tambourine Bay and acquiring a shop on Burns Bay Road: a small but established art gallery, the Ross Davis Studio. For the first 5yrs we lived above the shop, expanding the building as we went along. "Hamilton Design" became Hamilton Design Glass.

Running a retail business was a fascinating, at times frustrating and time-consuming but ultimately rewarding experience. My wife Rosie was very hands on, assisting in many aspects of the day to day running of the business. Our third child was born in 1983, and the business soon morphed from strictly my studio to the Hamilton Design Glass Gallery.

The careers of quite a few glass artists were launched through the Gallery and we became a fixture on the cultural circuit: "a little bit of Paddington in Lane Cove" people would say. The Gallery was the first in Sydney to sell the work of Peter Goss (QLD), Sallie Portnoy (USA/Sydney), Jill McGuiness (USA/Sydney), Patrick de Sumo(France/USA) and Gene Polt (W.A.). The watercolourist Owen Thompson had his first solo exhibition there, as did glass artist Shirley Gibson, who filled the shop windows with draped fabric and woven lead, leaving the locals scratching their heads and wondering "what goes on in there?". We took on The Australian Craft Show from its inception, exhibiting a stable of artists and growing in reputation over the years. Regulars could be certain they would find something unique and very special, often stopping by on the way to a wedding to select a gift! (The Gallery giftwrapping was instantly recognisable).

But everything has its time, and with my divorce the Lane Cove property was sold and I moved into a warehouse directly beneath the Anzac Bridge.

Blackwattle Bay

1996-2000

There was a small coterie of artists working in a privately held warehouse space down the road from the Fish Markets, and I found it a very stimulating environment. The property boasted the oldest wharf on Sydney Harbour with Hank and Annie's yacht a constant work in progress. The studio space, formerly leased by Cherry Philips and Maureen Cahill, I shared with Chilean-born glass artist Monica Valenzuala, a mature-aged graduate of Sydney College of the Arts. When Monica built her own studio at her home in Summer Hill I took on the whole of the space. It was a beautiful spot: we were right on the water's edge and could watch pelicans and other seabirds anytime of the day.

But as the 2000 Sydney Olympics approached my landlords decided they needed my space as accommodation for visiting relatives and to build a barbecue by the water. So once more I was on the move. Which brought me to Elizabeth Street, Central.

Hibernian House

JUNE 2000 - APRIL 2023

Reluctant to take studio space on the first floor of a warehouse, but good alternatives were just not offering at the time. The space was well-lit, with high ceilings and was positioned adjacent to a goods lift which opened onto a loading dock in Kippax Street. Jusdt across from Central Station, it was a great location and seemed to be a pretty funky space. The reality proved somewhat different, with the goods lift working only about half the time! Over twenty years vehicle access/parking became more and more difficult. While the Light Rail was under construction it was almost impossible!

Knot Gallery, in studio 107, was a hub of creativity and took the lead in Sydney's underground art scene from 2001-2005. Knot was established by a small group of visionary artists in the building including Keh Ng, Michelle McCosker, Chris Hancock AKA MonkFly, Matt Venables AKA Mercedes Malone and Alasdair Nichol, who acted as director. The core of Knot Gallery artists is now operating in Redfern as 107 Projects. G &A Gallery was located on the 2nd floor during 2005-06 and quickly established an enormous reputation for leading the conceptual art movement before closing rather abruptly. For several years suite 505 was famous for its Monday night jazz, with such luminaries as Inga Liljestrom, Chris Abrahams and many internationals performing to a full house. The club relocated to Cleveland St for several years, retaining the name 505.

Suite 104, next door to me, was for a time a rehearsal studio where the likes of Ghoul, Seekea and more recently The Preatures have worked out. On the other side one of the more interesting neighbours for the past few years has been contemporary art mega-star Ben Frost . Ben eventually moved on and Studio 103B was then occupied by the remarkable performance artist Yiorgos Zafiriou. Dance 101 on the first floor was run by the gorgeous Rosano Martinez and Maya Sheridan for several years and hugely popular. People and businesses come and go... I lasted 22yrs at these premises! Despite the various problems was a great studio, with terrific natural light.

Until late 2024 the main attraction in Hibernian House was Little Tokyo tattoo studio on the fifth floor. They gradually expanded to take up virtually the whole floor, with some of Sydney's top-notch artists on hand. Now located in Surfers Paradise, Qld.